The Illinois Cross Country Club season will kick off in full swing this Friday in Charleston, IL, at the EIU Walt Crawford Open. While the men’s and women’s teams each competed in the Illini Challenge last week, it was with limited entries. This will be the first meet that the majority of the club runs this year.
Last year, the men’s team took 3rd of 12 teams at this meet, behind EIU and SIU-Edwardsville. All but one of the top seven from that meet return this year, including last year’s top finisher Joe Zeller, in 26:42 for 8K. Also returning is last year’s five man Evan White. He put together a strong performance to be the club’s top finisher at the Illini Challenge, and it looks like he had a big summer of training. Not a returner, but a runner to keep an eye on is freshman Nick Bushelle, who turned heads last week at the Illini Challenge as the club’s second finisher.
The women’s team took 6th of 13 teams at last year’s meet. Looking at last year’s results show just how much can change over the course of the season, as only four of the top seven finishers would race in the women’s top seven at nationals. The women’s top returner this season is Emma Grimes, who finished first for the club at last week’s Illini Challenge in 19:03 for 4960 meters. Last year at this meet, Grimes ran 20:13 for 5K to finish fourth for the team, look for that time to drop on Friday. Like the men’s team, the women also have a freshman to watch in Lexy Rudofski, who finished third for the team last week.
The race is held on EIU’s “Panther Trail,” just outside of O’Brien Stadium, where the Illinois State Track Meet is held each year. It’s mostly a flat course with a few gradual hills around EIU’s athletic fields and facilities. The course should lend itself to some fast times to start the season, but runners will also have to battle the heat for this early season meet. After a summer of running and two strong weeks of training on campus, both the men’s and women’s teams are ready to compete in Charleston this Friday night.
